How Google earned before launching its PPC service?

I have read google story it is amazing and so rapid!!
But i didn't get the clue how google earned before launching adwords and Adsense?
In one article i read it was through licensing?
Anyway somebody have some clues?

 

Why do you wanna know that?

 

I remembered before adwords and adsense, I saw search engines with note "Powered by Google"

I believe I have seen it before in Yahoo! (please correct me if I was wrong)

It can be a source of income to have their technology used by other parties.

 

Ya i think you are right, google might have earning by giving rights to use their technology and infrastructure.

 

They probably invented a time machine to access their coffers after implementing Adsense.

 

Correct, they licensed their engine. They also had a decent capital injection right in the early days so they probably lived off that, without any revenue to speak of, for quite some time.

 

didnt they get liek 1 million dollars off friends and family to start google or something...then they licenced out their SE technology to other companies..

 

yes, that true. before advertisements then used to license their searching services to companies like AOL and Yahoo. But after a while they were afraid of a bad output by doing that (like in overture case).
If you are interested in these kind of stories I recommend you read "The Search" - great book that tells the story.
Also, you'll probably like this movie: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1498959948416769897&q=behind+the+screen

And, the movie done by the Biography channel (no link - but would be appreciated if someone has one).

 

Adwords was their first open scheme for earning big bucks. But before that it must be on some closed schemes.